Our Nation (song)

Lyrics

Verse 1
Cold dawn, winter city waking Church bells hum in the quiet air Footsteps on the sidewalk, children wondering Why the flags are hanging there It’s a Monday made for marching Not just rest but a reckoning Pages turned by hands still hopeful Hear the freedom choirs sing
Pre-Chorus
From the pulpit to the pavement from a jail to a dream He taught a nation how to listen to the soul beneath the scream
Chorus
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day We light the path with what we say with what we do, with how we hold Each other’s hearts, both young and old We carry love into the fray and bend the arc another way Let justice roll, let mercy stay On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Verse 2
Montgomery bus with empty seats That filled the world with crowded truths Lunch counters turned to battlegrounds Where courage came in suits and boots, He faced the dogs, the nights of fire He faced the sirens and the rods Spoke of dreams like living water Pouring from the heart of God
Pre-Chorus
He said a mountain can be moved If we climb as one, He said the law can change its tune When the song is sung
Chorus
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day We light the path with what we say with what we do, with how we hold Each other’s hearts, both young and old We carry love into the fray and bend the arc another way Let justice roll, let mercy stay On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Bridge
Let the drumline echo softly Down Auburn Avenue Let the children paint the sidewalks with a thousand hues Let the elders tell the stories of a bridge that would not break of a letter in the darkness and a dawn we had to make
Breakdown We won’t answer hate with thunder We won’t trade our souls for might We will meet you in your hunger We will learn to do what’s right Hand in hand, a human chorus Every shade and name Turning fear into a promise That we’ll never be the same
Chorus
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day We light the path with what we say with what we do, with how we hold Each other’s hearts, both young and old We carry love into the fray and bend the arc another way Let justice roll, let mercy stay On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
TagSo keep the vigil, keep the vigil till the night gives way Dream awake, keep building daylight Every living day Not a holiday for sleeping but a call to rise and pray for the dream that keeps on marching On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day